11/1 update

Braves,

We will be having our banquet on November 9^th at 5:30 PM at the pizza pie café here in Bountiful. I hope you will all be able to make it out as I think it will be a fun event with some awards being presented, including the lettering certificates for the xc season. We also want to do the most likelys, which are kind of funny, so I have included those so you can respond if you haven’t yet.

Uniforms:

Bring me your uniforms please from xc to my room any time, or bring them to the banquet. I will be entering fines into the system after the banquet for unreturned uniforms.

Indoor Track:

It will begin with our meeting on 11/29. I hope you all will be able to do it, as this season is going to be a blast. We are really looking forward to it, including the Simplot Games at the end of the season, which is an indoor meet that is one of the best in the nation at Idaho State University. I reserved some hotel rooms for members of our team who qualify to go. It’s going to be awesome.

I’d recommend getting back into the running habit with indoor right around the corner. I’ll be in the weight room Monday, Wednesday, Friday after school for all who are interested, and you ought to be running again every day and putting in miles to build your base so we are prepared for the outdoor track season, and next year’s xc season.

Big things are coming.

See you next week.

Coach Jacobson

10/9 update

Braves,

What a week and what a season. Congratulations to our state qualifiers: Anna Sophia, Belle, Blake, Dallin, and Luke. The region meet was quite the emotional roller coaster and epitomized our season fairly effectively both with the ups and downs.

Even though we came up just short of our team goals at the end of the day, that does not mean that our season was a failure. In fact, the season was a great success and serves as a stepping stone for our program. I encourage each of you to go compare your results from pre-region to region. I was shocked by some of the improvements. Abby Tew improved by 10 minutes, which is simply unbelievable. Most of you improved between 1-3 minutes and that is a great accomplishment in less than 2 months’ time. The individual performances were awesome to see, particularly after a long season of training. One of those individual highlights at region was from Daniel. He worked so hard throughout the race to try and get the team into a position to qualify for state that he fell to the ground shortly after the finish. It is impressive enough to work oneself into exhaustion but honestly that wasn’t really that remarkable for Daniel. What was remarkable was that a young 9^th grader who hadn’t really run before would come down to practice at 3:15 every day jogging into the facility eager to find out what the workout was. I can’t think of a single workout where he didn’t physically give his best effort. And training like that every day after 4 months for someone new to the sport is a massive challenge. That is what was remarkable. Anyone can go run one race and work hard on a given day. But to do it all year is what is impressive. Our team was full of people like Daniel, but to highlight each of you is too daunting of a task.

There is so much good that is to be taken from our season, and we are lucky to have the group that we do. The journey that we went on this season was a special one, and is a year we will always remember. It was our first year of many here at Bountiful and you made it special for us. One thing we are excited about is that of the 35 people who raced at region 7 were seniors so we are returning the majority of our team, which is going to make for a very fun year next season. Congratulations to our seniors Amelia, Elizabeth, Victoria, David, Braden, Marcus, and McKade on a great career here and we wish them luck on their future endeavors, though of course we have them for track so it’s not a complete goodbye yet. I remember the beginning of summer training when practice was somewhat awkward at first because a lot of you didn’t know each other or us very well, so everyone sat rather reverently. That was not the case at the end of the year J It is fun to how the team grows and changes over time as the team truly develops together. Mile repeats at the rec center or 800s at Lewis park or mile 8 4 4 8 mile at our facility made for some enjoyable days. Not to mention Rite Aid.

As coach and I reflected on the season there were three things, among others, that stood out to us that we can improve on next season which will increase the team success. Summer conditioning (meaning the miles that you put in on your own on days we didn’t meet), arriving late to practice (which cut short the warm up and in turn affects the quality of the workout), and leaving practice early. Those will be a few of the things that will help us in the seasons to come.

The ultimate tribute to what you accomplished this season and the effort each of you made came from coaches around the region and district. After the boys race when we saw that Box Elder had beaten us by 7 points their coach came up to me, even before I knew how close it was, shook my hand, and said how impressed he is with both our teams and how you performed throughout the season. I have had that same interaction with at least 5 other coaches throughout the season. Those compliments, and the credit goes to each of you for the work that you put in this season.

Moving forward now. For the state qualifiers practice will continue normally. Anyone who is interested in practicing with them is welcome to come. Anyone who has injuries, nagging or otherwise, come talk to me in my classroom or at practice and we will make a plan to get you back to 100% so you can begin training again.

As we have talked about we will be doing indoor track this winter. Indoor was new to Bountiful last year (they had done it before but on a very small scale). We had about 20 dedicated people last season. This year we are hoping to triple that. There has been a ton of interest this season about it and with better organization and understanding this season it is going to be a ton of fun. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, our distance program should be the foundation of our track team. One, because of our numbers, and two, which is more important, because you understand hard work and are not afraid of it. Indoor track will begin on November 29^th with meets going through January and into February.  I suspect there will be some questions about it so feel free to contact me with questions. We are hoping all of you come out for it so you can be better runners, and because each of you will be part of the reason the team is successful. XC runners know what it takes to train and your example will be paramount for the other members of the team, especially the new ones. I just can’t say it enough. The dynamic of training for indoor is different from xc and is a ton of fun. Some of my best memories of training in high school and college were during the indoor season. If you are unsure about it come talk to me so I can paint a clearer picture. One thing is for sure, the more who come out to run the more fun it is for all of you.

Between now and indoor I don’t recommend keeping up the same training regime that you have been doing for xc. Frankly your bodies need to recover while still improving your cardio. I would recommend just going out and running on the roads or the trails and enjoy the fall weather. Get out and run as often as you can so you maintain cardio but also where your muscles can recover from the many intervals and repetitions we have done over the past 4 months.

Thank you for a wonderful season. I will send out a brief update next week and after state, but then I will dissolve this email list. If you know you will be interested in indoor track and would like to be added to that email list please respond to this email and I will add you straightaway. Again, feel free to contact me with questions. We are grateful for all your support and hard work over the past 4 months and couldn’t be more proud of what you accomplished throughout this journey.

Coach Caitlin

Coach Jacobson

10/2 update

Braves,

The week that we have all been waiting and training for since June has finally arrived. We hope you are excited about the opportunity that is ahead of us on Friday. This week is going to be a blast as we prepare for the races, and then the races themselves will be exciting. All you have to do is go out and run the race that you have been preparing for in training and we will see what happens. Don’t put any added pressure on yourselves this week, just keep doing what we have been doing. Jared Ward said something that, to me, helps take away some pre-race jitters, and that is “if you train like you race, then all you have to do is race like you train.” Come race day, all you need to do is what you have been doing, it’s that simple.

We have talked about the position that we are in and what we will need to do to be able to qualify for state. We will talk about it again at practice this week, but it is nothing complicated or confusing. What it comes down to is each teammate finishing in front of a few other teams’ runners. Whether we qualify or not could come down to only a few points, so every place counts. That is what makes cross country so fun. Having a chance to reach our goals at the end of the season is a fun opportunity.  

The race on Friday is at the Cottonwood Complex in SLC. There are JV races before the Varsity races.

JV Girls - 2:30 pm
JV Boys - 3:00 pm
Varsity Girls - 3:30 pm
Varsity Boys - 4:00 pm 

The bus will be leaving at 12:50, which means you will miss all of 8^th period. You will need to grab a quick lunch so that you can be ready to leave on the bus.

The training schedule this week is slightly different than in the past. We will do some speed work on Monday, and some easier stuff the rest of the week. That obviously does not give you permission to miss practice, especially with a few varsity places still up for grabs.

We have been working hard since June. Four months ago we began this journey and now is the time for the payout. Make sure you eat right and sleep right throughout this week so that your body is prepared to perform at its best. Let’s have fun this week.

Coach Jacobson

9/25 update

Braves,

This was an awesome week of work. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were different workouts than we have done to this point in the season, and we were able to accomplish a few things. We have less than two weeks until our region race, which would be the last race of the season unless we make it to state. This is our last week of true hard work. Similar to last week, we want to put in some speed work, while continuing to taper. Tuesday and Thursday last week were intended to be easier days, while still getting in some cardio work.

Speaking of Thursday, I cannot believe the weird things that these kids found on their run. We issued an “obscure item” challenge and some of the things they found were flat out bizarre. I still am laughing about the entertainment center. The Kerrs had some creepy mask, Ryan and Brandon came back with some antique action figures or something. And a chicken?? I took a couple of pictures and put them on our website. You probably have to scroll to the bottom to see them, but maybe while you are there you can upload a few of your own. You can get to the photos page by clicking on “2016 photos” on the right side of the website or by following this link.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMe1CwlaYOXlM0N_6R_pxkaGBvT63EAG8Z31wgCcjSEDZEM6CTNDhT8gnmJM6E59g?key=SkNkQjU2eWE3V1JyU2FjY2NqUllhTDVtd2NiRm1B

We have put it great work all season long, now is the time to take advantage of it. Don’t waste these last few weeks, take advantage of them. On Friday in the rain I was a bit upset at the beginning of practice, but to your credit, to those of you there, your work ethic really changed by attitude. We were impressed how well you worked in the rain. You are going to have plenty of races in the rain, including the state track meet it seems every year, so we have to be able to excel in rough weather. You did that on Friday so thank you for changing my mood through your work ethic.

At the end of the workout on Friday I told the group to have some fun on these last few 400s. Anna Sophia jokingly said to me that I might have a different idea of fun than they do. After I laughed I realized that I don’t, at least in this case. The workouts or races when you go as hard as you can, that is when you have fun. Part of that is the endorphins that are released, but the other part is exceling through challenges. That is a rewarding feeling and what makes running, training, and racing fun. I never see our team more happy than right after they finish a race. After Kiwi finished her race at pre region, where she also had an outstanding race, she said to Leslie, “that was fun!” (Coach and I were in earshot, not eaves dropping ;) ). The point I’m making is, let’s have fun, and the true way to having fun is working hard.

We have one race this week, and it is our home meet up at Mueller Park. The race begins at 3:30 with the girls followed by the boy’s race. You will be excused from school slightly early so you can get dressed and up to the meet. Because we are hosting, we will need help from each athlete, and any parent that is available to help at the finish line, or standing at a few spots in the race to direct traffic. I’m putting another link to our course map so you can review it. It is mildly confusing, which is why we need help to make sure the kids don’t take any wrong turns. Let me know if you will be available. Mostly you would stand at some of the intersections and direct the kids along. Nothing too complex. http://bravesxc.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_12.html

There is no varsity or JV this week. This race and the workouts the next two weeks will be used to determined who will be racing varsity at region, so now is the time to show what you have. Let’s have some fun this week.

Coach Jacobson

9/18 update

Braves,

The results from the meet we had on Wednesday our on our website. We were impressed with the effort during those races. It is crazy to think that we only have one race to go before our region meet. Parents, in case you hadn’t heard from your son or daughter, we are not going to race on Friday the 23^rd at Roy. That was on our schedule but we decided to not race that day so we can use the time to prepare for our final races. That means that we have our home meet on the 28^th, region the week after, and state after that. With the final few weeks of the season we have some exciting things ahead of us.

The final few members of the varsity teams are not set in stone, given the improvements that people have been making, and that is a good thing for our team. Over the next two and a half weeks that will be decided as we go into region. We were extremely impressed over the last two days with a few kids stepping it up in practice as they make their final push to make the varsity team. We will need that kind of tenacity if we are going to have a shot to reach our goals.

We set a goal at the beginning of the year to qualify both teams for state. As the season has unfolded and we have deal with ups and downs, injuries and improvements, our goal is within reach, but not a guarantee.  It is going to take a collective effort to have chance at qualifying for state. As the season has developed, on paper, the boys team finds themselves neck and neck with Box Elder for the final qualifying spot. It looks to be very close. The girls teams in the region have been slightly more unpredictable, but it is clear that we will have to really improve in order to have a shot. Not surprisingly, our girls have been improving (as have our boys) as a result of their hard work, which is why we believe there still is a chance. Anything can happen on race day, we just need to prepare ourselves so we can make things go our way. This is an exciting time. Ultimately, what we hope each of you understands, and whether you have been on jv or varsity doesn’t matter, is that we need each other, all of us, in this process working hard as a TEAM in order to reach our goals. Those of you who were with us last year for track will remember that our boys team fell 4 points short earning a state team trophy for the first time since 1991. Though that team dominated in region, they came up just short at state. That team had a lot of athletes who had bought in to the team concept and were working hard every day, but there were many who weren’t committed enough, and it cost us in the end. I do not want that to be our story. We cannot afford to be missing practice over the last stretch of our season. The region is just too close. I know you have other things in your life so schedule things in such a way that allows you to accomplish everything you need to.

I hear every day in my classes some students saying they stayed up and did homework for a large number of hours the night before for some class they had. Typically when I ask more questions about it they regretfully reveal that they had procrastinated for several days. What’s worse, when I ask how many text messages they sent, or snap chats they received throughout the duration of their “study time” they realize where the conversation is leading them so they plead the fifth (something Stratty likes to do when asked about if he iced is foot J). My point is, use your time wisely. Do not procrastinate, especially not in the middle of the term, because the end is usually worse in terms of workload. If you have a cell phone or an ipad or whatever, put it away while you study. In college I learned very quickly and gratefully how much more I could get done in the hour before practice when I kept my phone in my bag and stayed of social media. There is a little #lifehack for you as you move forward.

We are lucky to have a team full of great kids. For the most part you are responsible and want to do what is best for you and the team. Stay true to that and you will be able to balance all you have while still helping our team be successful.

This upcoming week we have a few things to accomplish. We have two things we want to accomplish in training over the next two and a half weeks in order to reach our goal. First, we want to continue to develop our speed, and take it up a notch. Our base has been established, and now we get to reap the rewards. As former long-time Weber State Coach, and BYU athlete Coach Blaisdell used to say, “the hay is in the barn” meaning we have put in the work, now we get to enjoy it. Second, we will begin to taper. Our workload won’t be as strenuous as your bodies begin to recover. As a training schedule for this week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be speed days, either on the track or at Lewis Park, and Tuesday and Thursday will be distance runs, but more in the casual (NOT lazy) category. On Tuesday we will meet at Mueller Park Junior High and run our course a few times so you can get the hang of it, but it won’t be a strenuous run. We will give you further details at practice on Monday.

On Tuesday we will be taking our team picture for the year book. Make sure to bring your Uniform top (don’t worry about the shorts, but wear dark shorts or spandex if possible). That picture will be taken at 2:40, so if you are late, you will not be in the photo.

Again, there is no race on Friday, but we will be practicing.

We have an exciting few weeks ahead. Enjoy it, embrace it, be determined, and let’s reach our goals.

Coach Jacobson

9/11 update

Braves,

It has been a busy weekend so I am late getting this out to you. This one will be pretty short.

We will be racing on Wednesday at Layton City Park. It is the district championships so we will see all the schools in Davis County. There will be a JV and Varsity race, JV Girls first followed by the boys. The races begin at 3:30. The course is a bit shorter than what we have been racing, it is only 2.75 miles. We are looking forward to this meet and racing against some schools that we don’t often see.

We are doing a second clothing order. I will place the order on Wednesday after lunch, so if you want to order something please pay in the office and bring me the form and the receipt before or during lunch on Wednesday. You are also welcome to leave it in my box in the office if that is easier. Again, if you choose not to order something that is no problem at all. If you ordered a t shirt before, and are thinking of getting a couple more, the discount can still be applied. Let me know if you have questions.

The final month of the season is here and we are going to start transitioning into faster workouts (pace wise, not necessarily duration). Make sure you are getting plenty of sleep, eating right, and staying hydrated so that you can stay healthy over the last month. We are very excited for the last few weeks, this is when the season gets really fun.

Thanks for all you do, keep up the hard work.

Coach Jacobson

8/28 update

Braves,

I can confidently say that this past week was our best yet. We worked hard on Monday and followed that up with some great performances at the pre-region meet on Tuesday. We have been very happy with the level of commitment at practice and at the race this week. We repeat this a lot, but being at practice every day ready and willing to work is crucial to what we are trying to accomplish. The results from the pre-region race were encouraging. They showed us that if we are able to put in the level of work that we did this week, each week, then both our teams have a chance to qualify for state. For that to happen we need to continue to train hard, be healthy, and get more racing experience.

One of the highlights from Tuesday’s race was seeing Kiwi sprint to catch up to Leslie (even if that was originally done because she didn’t realize where the finish line was…). The two of them pushed each other over the final 200m and finished better than they otherwise would have. It is effort similar to that, not just in meets but in practices as well, that will propel our team to its goal.  After the race, amidst exhaustion, there was a number of people who we heard say, “that was fun!” I completely agree; racing is fun when you give your all. Cross Country is fun when you give your full effort each day at practice or in a race. This season is a journey and I hope we remember to enjoy it all one day at a time.

Remember that if something is hurting, make sure to ice it every day. Make sure to communicate your aches and pains to us so we can monitor them. Sometimes it won’t be a big deal to run through it, but other times we will want you to cross train or rest.

We have two races this week. We race on Wednesday in Ogden and Friday at Utah State. For times and addresses please refer to our team website. On Wednesday you will be excused at 1:30 and Friday at 1:20. Those who will be racing varsity on Friday can go to Wednesday’s meet, but won’t be racing 100%, we’ll have you do a run before and maybe after to get a different type of workout in.

We have uploaded a bunch of pictures from the meets onto the website, and if any of you have pictures you have taken at meets feel free to upload them there as well. The website is www.bravesxc.blogspot.com and the pictures link is on the side of the page called “2016 pictures.”

We appreciate all you are doing. We know it can be challenging to balance school, xc, and other responsibilities, but it is worth it. Make sure you continue to eat right and get plenty of sleep each night (8 hours or more). Get some good rest this weekend and we look forward to getting back at it on Monday.

Coach Jacobson

Coach Caitlin

8/21 update

Braves,

Recap>preparation>team expectations>Tuesday race information>season vision

This final week of no school was an interesting one with our first race on Thursday. Those of you who went and competed showed a ton of effort. As Coach and I stood near the finish line to see each of you finish we saw your expressions as you rounded the turn. Everyone looked exhausted from the effort you had been putting in. Even with the evident fatigue, somehow you still managed to finish strong over the last few hundred meters. It is that kind of effort that you put in on race day that needs to be shown in practice day after day which will carry us to our goals at the end of the season. Use that effort in everything you do and you will find success.

As classes begin on Wednesday make sure you start strong and prepared. A lot of you are new to Cross Country so balancing your classes will be different from what you have done in the past. Make sure to manage your time wisely so that you stay on top of your school work while still being at practice every day, fulfilling your other responsibilities, AND getting enough sleep each night. Sometimes it can seem like a lot, but when you break it down one day at a time and one week at a time I know you can do it.

Now that school is starting our team should finally be at full strength as people get back from vacations or summer jobs. It will be nice having everyone there each day. With all the races we have coming up we only have a few days to prepare each week. We have planned our schedule so that we have enough days to work and improve while still getting the race experiences needed; the races and workouts will work together to help you be as fast as you can be by the end of the season. If all we did was race we would plateau very quickly.

In an effort to avoid that problem while rewarding those who are at practice each day, we won’t be able to enter those into races who are missing practices. We cannot skip practice then expect to race the next time. We decided this as a coaching staff after last track season when kids wouldn’t practice but would suddenly be on the bus when we were going to a meet. This is not being said because of any of you; you have been great. A few kids missed most of last week but still raced and that was just fine because we knew people would be out of town with summer, so that is not a problem. Now that school is beginning we simply cannot be missing practices and then expect to race. Frankly it would be unfair to this team, especially your teammates who are counting on you to allow anyone to skip practices then show up to race.

That being said, we understand that many of you are involved in other activities so we know you may miss from time to time. If you let me know via email or text (through the reminder app) before practice, we can work it out for you to still race. Please don’t just tell me at practice that you won’t be there a certain day though, because my brain gets too distracted at practice to convert that information into long term memory. I need to read it through email or text to fully process it. We also understand that injuries are a fact of the sport and some of you have a few ailments. Still come to practice even if you are hurt so that we can monitor how you are feeling. We will either have you not workout or we will have you cross train so you still get some cardio work in. Having battled through injuries we understand that it is extremely frustrating and delicate, so we aren’t going to just make you run through something that requires rest.

As a member of the team we need you there at practice each day. Cross Country is obviously a unique sport where the team counts on each individual member. Practice is where we improve as a team, and working with the group motivates us to be better, not just for ourselves but for the people around us who are also sacrificing for our team. Each of you contributes to our team, and when you miss a practice the dynamic changes. The team needs each member, and each member needs the team. We are lucky to have a team that is great to be around and who works hard. Let’s get to work each day, enjoy the moments running together, and when we have a full bus coming home from state we can look back proudly at what we accomplished as a TEAM.

I neglected to share in the email last week who are team captains are. The team chose Amelia, Blake, Braden, Dallin, Emmie, and Laurie as captains. Though any number of you could have done an outstanding job as a team captain, these six are excellent examples of hard work, drive, dedication, and determination. Look to them as examples of how we want our team to be in this season, and in the years to come.

As you know we are next racing on Tuesday. The bus will be leaving at 1:50 (assuming it arrives on time). If the bus is on time, we will be leaving from the fieldhouse at 1:50. A few of you would have missed the bus had it done been late last week. We will leave without you if you are late simply because we need to allow for plenty of time to get to the meet (drivers have gotten lost before) and get warmed up before the races.

This race is pre region, so we will only be competing against the other schools from our region. It is going to seem like a really small meet compared to Thursday. This is going to be a fun meet because it will show how we match up against the other schools. Our team goal is to qualify both our boys and girls teams for State – something that hasn’t been done in a number of years at BHS, and not since our region changed, which added a few powerful teams. As the season progresses we will talk with our captains and try and set few more specific goals for our team. In order to qualify for state we need to place in 4^th or better as a team at region on October 7^th. The region race will be at the course we run on Tuesday. No matter what our team results are on Tuesday we will understand that we have a ton of work to do to get ready for region. It’s going to be fun to see how we match up early in the season with the other teams.

As we said before, our philosophy is to peak around Region and State. We are not trying to peak by Tuesday. With that in mind, we are going to practice reasonably hard on Monday. In the short term (on Tuesday, for instance) this may cause you to not feel as fresh as you might like, but that is by design. We work hard early in the season, taper at the end, and then we’ll be ready to roll in October. With so many races, if we don’t run hard before meets early in the season then the tapering at the end of the season will be much less effective.

This week is going to be great. Practice on Monday is at 2:30. Bus Tuesday is at 1:50. After school practices will begin at 2:40, (Junior high kids will begin at 3:15).

If you haven’t clicked on this link to see the schedule for the season I encourage you to do so and bookmark it. On the right side of the page it says 2016 pictures, I have uploaded the pictures from the meet on Thursday that I took, so go take a look at those. Any of you, parents or athletes, who take pictures at a meet feel free to add them to that page. It’s a very simple drag and drop process.

Have a great weekend, the Olympic men’s Marathon is Sunday morning at 6:30 and my friend Jared Ward is racing so tune in if you can. See you Monday!

Coach Caitlin

Coach Jacobson

8/14 update

Braves,

We have a lot of announcements in this email, so be sure to read it thoroughly.

Minicamp was extremely successful and we were able to put in a lot of miles and get used to running in the afternoons as well. Now that summer training is behind us we will begin our typical school day and race routine. Our first race is on Thursday of this week. We will let you know if you are running JV or Varsity on Monday or Tuesday of this week. At the end of the email I will include the names of who has been entered in the meet. If you won’t be here to race, please let me know TODAY so I can take you out and we don’t have to pay the entry fee for you, or worse, lose a varsity spot. The bus will leave for the meet at 3:15. We will meet at the field house to be picked up, and we should be back a little after 7. The course for this meet is the state course, so we have a nice opportunity early in the year to get experience on it.

In order to be prepared for the meet, we will be issuing uniforms after practice on Monday. You need to have completed register my athlete and paid the fee in the office to be able to race, so please take care of those. I keep forgetting to mention this, but it is something that will be extremely helpful for you. I recommend investing in a pair of racing flats. Racing flats are smaller and lighter than training shoes and typically have a space where you can put in spikes. They still have rubberized bottoms, unlike track spikes, but they can have spikes inserted into them. The advantage of having racing flats is they are lighter, faster, and more agile. You wouldn’t train in racing flats (except to break them in, or on pre-race days) because they aren’t meant to endure the rigors of season long training, but they are great for racing. A good place to get racing flats would be Wasatch running in Centerville. I usually recommend that store because of their selection and the discount that they give BHS athletes. Just tell them you run for Bountiful and they give you a discount. Striders in Layton is also a good store. I often recommend against online stores because you don’t have the chance to try them on and verify that they fit your foot well.

Practice this upcoming week will be 2 PM each day except Thursday because of the race and Friday might be a different time, so stay tuned for that. The reason we are going into afternoons now is so that we are used to the heat. Make sure to bring your water so you can hydrate between sets. After Monday you did a lot better and not stopping during sets to drink, and that will be very helpful in our heat preparation.

There has been a slight change to our meet schedule. On Sept. 9 we are no longer going to the Murray invitational. The reason for that is so that we can run hard on the Wednesday before, which is also at the state course, and then be ready to run the next Wednesday at our district meet. Ultimately it will allow us to get 2 quality races in with plenty of rest instead of cramming 3 races in 7 days and wear us down. We are also going to add a meet on either Friday the 2^nd in the afternoon OR Saturday the 3^rd in the morning. We will decide which of those we will be attending by the middle of this week. If you would like to check the schedule and find out where the meet for this Thursday is, please see http://bravesxc.blogspot.com/p/2016-schedule.html

We have had a very productive summer training, but we still have a lot of work to do. Remember that our team goal of qualifying for state is a process that isn’t accomplished just at the region meet. Though we qualify at the region meet, the process started back in June and will continue until the end of the season. We are on the right track, but we need each member of our team to step up and increase their level, so that our team can make that jump. This is an awesome and uncommon group, so we must take advantage of it.

Here is who is competing on Thursday, if your name is not on the list but you would like to compete, send me an email and we will see if we can get you in. If you are on the list but are not going to be there, let me know ASAP so I can take you off. Thanks, See you Monday at 2!

Coach Caitlin

Coach Jacobson

Isabelle Barlow                 

                Leslie     Brand                   

                Emmie  Dyer                     

                Kiwi        Hogan                  

                Victoria Jones                   

                Kaela     McPheters         

                Sadee   Pack                      

                Anna Sophia       Rorrer Warner                  

                Kamora Wayman                             

Tyson    Fox                        

                Andrew Hess                    

                John      Hess                     

                Ben        Liston                   

                David     Miller                   

                Stratton Tidwell               

                Gabe     Ure                       

                Justin    Wood   

Ryan      Giebel                  

                Luke      Hughes                

                Dallin     Mason                 

                Daniel   Mason                 

                Blake     Nielson                

                Ryan      Roodbol              

                Aaron    Stanley 

8/7 update

Braves,

Monday is the beginning of Mini Camp. This is the first week that we will track attendance, and it will help determine who letters at the end of the season. I understand that some of you will be out of town, so let me know if that is the case and we can work it out where you will still be able to letter. Plan on minicamp being strenuous, but you will be better for it. On the days we practice twice we will being doing a run in the morning.

The schedule for next week will be as follows: Monday @7:30 & 2:30, Tuesday @7:30, Wednesday @7:30 & 2:30, Thursday @7:30 & 2:30, Friday @ 7:30.

Monday morning is a team picture we will be taking for the football program this fall. I hope most of you can make it for that.

On Wednesday we will be having a “time trial” of sorts. It will be a 4 mile run, but we want you to go out and give it your all. We will be using that in our considerations of who will be on the varsity or jv teams to begin the year. It won’t be the only factor, obviously, because it is only one workout, but it will help make the picture a bit more clear.

Friday you will vote for the team captains this season.

A few of you have not finished register my athlete. Some of you still need to get physicals. At this point it is late and we are hoping the state doesn’t crack down on late registrations. It absolutely has to be done before the first race, or we cannot enter you.

The first race is going to be on Thursday the 18^th. That is less than two weeks away. Exciting times are upon us. Honestly we are so excited for the season to get rolling. If you are not going to be in town for that first race, let me know so I don’t enter you and waste that entry money on someone who isn’t going to be here. Some of you have already told me you won’t be around, but please tell me again, by responding to this email, so I can make sure I have it correct.

I have attached here the order form for clothes this season. If you want to order something, please pay in the office. Any checks should be made out to Bountiful High but make sure they know that it is for cross country clothes order. Do not bring me any money because I will just direct you to the office. The items on here are just options for you; you do not have to order anything. You can order none, one, or many items, it is all the same to us. If you do want something bring the order form and the receipt to me by Wednesday after the morning practice. I’m going to submit the order by 10 AM on Wednesday, so have everything in by then.

Everything we have done all summer has been a huge stepping stone for the next month or so of training, all to be ready for this season, particularly region, which is where we have a chance to qualify both teams for state. It is not an easy goal, but one that we can attain if you put in the work. Prepare yourselves to take it up another level. You’re ready.

Enjoy the Olympics this next week in your free time.

Coach Caitlin

Coach Jacobson

7/31 update

Braves,

There is a lot to cover in this email because Monday marks August 1^st, and only 17 days until our first race. Several things need to be done by 8/1 or a few days after. I will break it down by date so it is easy to follow.

Before I get to all of the points I need to thank this team and each of you. This past week a family member asked us if we enjoy coaching, and if there are a lot of kids who are disrespectful or think they are above the team. We responded quickly and surely that we love coaching, I said that basically we are getting paid to do a hobby (even if it only adds up to a few dollars an hour).  We were more surprised by the second question, and almost annoyed that such a question could be asked – they obviously do not know what kind of individuals we have on this team. We told them how coachable and determined you are and how working with you is as easy and smooth as it gets. So thank you for being who you are and representing Bountiful Cross Country with such class to the point that we can unhesitatingly and emphatically state that this group of kids is as good as it gets when it comes to character. Being coachable, humble, and determined are qualities that are not found everywhere, but are in abundance on our team thanks to each of you.

Now on to the business portion of this week’s email.

Register my athlete: I have talked about this over the last several weeks, and the time is finally here that it must be DONE. By Monday, August 1^st, everything needs to be done on www.registermyathlete.com EXCEPT for the physical, that can wait to be uploaded to the site until 8/4 – which is when the free physical day is (see last week’s email for more info on that). By the 4^th it has to all be completed. I have a list of who has done what and will share that with you so you can know who you are. You’ll notice that the website for register my athlete is a link, simply click on it to begin or continue the process J Those who have it finished already, or just need the physical, thank you so much! You make my life easier.

Next week’s practice will be our last week of normal practices. We will meet Monday and Wednesday at 7:30, and Friday we will do a trail run. On Monday 8/8 we will do our minicamp. This year the camp will be held here in Bountiful and won’t cost anything, but in future years we are hoping to head out of town for a few nights. We will have practice every morning (Monday through Friday) at 7:30 AM, then on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday we will ALSO practice in the afternoon at 2:30 PM, to get used to running in the heat. I understand some of you will be out of town, but if you are around this is going to be a huge opportunity to get better and be prepared for the season. If you know anyone who is still interested in joining the team for this fall, now would be a great time to join.

The week of Monday the 15^th to Friday the 19^th we will hold practices at 7:30 AM – except for Thursday the 18^th, that will be our first race. For details on when and where, please refer to our schedule www.bravesxc.blogspot.com and click on the link at the top. We will be taking a bus to that meet, and every away race. Everyone who is eligible and able can be entered into the meet. Ineligible athletes are those who have more than one F from last term, have any U’s that need to be made up, have not completed register my athlete, or have not paid the fee for xc.

On Monday the 15^th we will be issuing uniforms after practice in my classroom. We will only be able to give uniforms out to those who are eligible and have paid the fee for cross country which can be done online on your mydsd account, or in the office. I just finished entering the fees so each of you should be able to pay them with ease. You incoming 9^th graders however will need to call or go into the office to pay because I do not have access to enter it online for students at other schools.

I know there is a lot to keep track of here, particularly in this busy time of year. Please contact me with any questions, I’m happy to help where I can. Below I’ve made a list of register my athlete so you know where you stand.

Keep up the hard work that we have been putting in all summer. You all are awesome and have been doing great. Both the boys and girls teams has a legitimate shot at making it to state this year but we need to work in order to reach that goal. It is not often that both teams make it, where we can take a whole bus load down to state to compete, so let’s keep up the hard work and make it happen.

Thanks

Coach Jacobson

Here is the list of Register my athlete (RMA) needs- in the event the formatting gets messed up on the device on which you read this email, feel free to contact me to ask your status. Thanks

Boys who have completed RMA	Girls who have completed RMA	Boys who have started but still need a physical	Girls who have started but still need a physical	Boys who have not started (._.)	Girls who have not started (._.)
Dallin Ben Blake Ryan G Luke Marcus Justin	Abby Kamora Elizabeth Amelia Victoria	Tyson Brandon Scott Andrew H Daniel Jared Aaron	Sadee Laurie Anna Sophia Belle Olivia Hannah	David Brade McKade Andrew W Austin Ben Ryan R John Ethan Anthony Gabe George Stratton	Mary Rachel Emmie Julia Leslie Kiwi Kaitlyn Kaela

7/24 update

Braves,

We had a pretty tough week at Lewis Park and on Mill Street. Great job taking advantage of those workouts, which were designed to be tough. The workouts over the next month are going to be challenging as we move into the final weeks of our preseason. In order to get ready for the season there are a few things that each of you needs to do.

First, you need to go to http://www.registermyathlete.com/ and register for cross country. Some of you have begun the process and not finished, and only a couple of you have completed it. This has to be done by August 1^st, which is a week from Monday, otherwise you may not be able to compete. It is not a difficult process, you can do it in only a few minutes. Please do not procrastinate it further. I’ve attached a form that should answer some of the questions you have. To finish the process you need to have a physical, and I address that below.

Second, you need to get a physical, Mountain West Orthopedics and SportsMed Physical Therapy are again offering free physicals to our student athletes for the fall sports season.  They will be held at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 4^th at the Mountain West Orthopedics Office: 1551 Renaissance Towne Dr. Suite 400 Bountiful, UT 84010  (The big building behind Maverick off of the 1500 south Round-About) 4^th floor.  The student/athletes must bring in their Physical Form to the appointment and the Questionnaire and Health Report must be filled out by the parents and they (the Student and the Parent) MUST SIGN AND DATE IT before a physical can take place.  (See Attached for the form – it’s called “forma”). Once you have finished the physical you can then complete the rest of register my athlete. If you wait to have your physical done on the 4^th, simply do all you can before you have the physical, then finish it on the 4^th. Obviously, you are welcome to go elsewhere to complete the physical, this is just one option.

Third, you need to pay the athletic fees for cross country. The fees are $90 I believe and cover drug testing, transportation, and fees sent down from the district. You can pay these online at mydsd if I have put your name into the system (I’m hoping to have that done by Monday afternoon). If not, you can always pay in the office.

Monday’s practice will be shorter than most given that some are celebrating pioneer day that day. We will begin promptly at 7:30, so arrive on time, and we should be done around 8:30. We will be at the track for the entire time so you can plan rides accordingly. 

Thanks for all you do and we look forward to a great week. Feel free to contact me with any questions, thanks.

Coach Jacobson

Coach Caitlin

7/17 update

Braves,

You did awesome this week. Between the mile repeats Monday and the two mile repeats on Tuesday you threw down a lot of mileage. Not to mention the 7 miles we ran on Friday. Another reminder: doing the repeats on Monday and Wednesday is not going to properly help you if you are not putting in miles on your own during the other days. We only have a few weeks left of summer before our season begins. We have a month until our first race. It is crazy how fast it is going, and it has been great to see how much better each of you is becoming.

At the end of a very long workout on Wednesday we were impressed with how many of you stepped to the line to do one more. It would have been easy to think you were finished because of how late it was. Many had to leave because of obligations but you still lined up and did a fourth set. That is the kind of attitude that is required to be successful. As a group we have massively improved in that area, but we are far from perfect. This week come to practice ready to do an extra set even when you think that you are spent.

It is the time of season where minor aches and pains begin to add up and can become more serious. This is something that we will need to address throughout the remainder of the year, and frankly throughout your running career. When you have pains that are impeding your training, let us know what those are so we can plan accordingly. In some cases we will tell you to hold back and take time off, in other cases you can do something extra at home to alleviate the pain. I know being told by a coach to stop running is horrible; nobody wants to sit out while their team is working. However, we have to be smart about some of these injuries, so use that time to increase your mental strength, because it takes mental toughness to sit out through an injury.

A common problem that we are beginning to have is shin splints – which is an aching or throbbing pain in your shins, particularly when you run. Often the pain will subside after you start running for a bit, but sometimes it gets worse. It is slightly different for each person. We do the “funny walks” in the warm up each day and we spend most of our training time on the grass in an effort to avoid shin splints. Other treatments include icing your shins each day and wearing compression sleeves on them during workouts. Another big thing for shins is the shoes you wear. If you have worn out or old shoes, it may be time to get a new pair. Old shoes lose the cushioning and really hammer your legs. There are a few other things which are difficult to explain over email that we are happy to share with you if you ask us at practice.

By August 1st each athlete needs to register for cross country via http://registermyathlete.com/schools/ You simply need to select the state, then the school, create an account and register for Cross Country. If you already have an account then simply log in and register for XC as well. Each athlete needs a physical . Physicals last for one year, so if you haven’t had one since last August, you will need to get a new one. The physical form can be downloaded from the register my athlete site, and can be uploaded there or brought to me. And lastly, there is a school fee for XC that needs to be paid in the office before you can compete. Our season begins before school starts so make your way to the office one day after practice to pay that. I believe it is $90. That fee covers transportation, drug testing, and district fees. If you have further questions regarding registration please let me know.

As we have said before, we are incredibly proud of this group, and we are poised to have a great season so long as we continue what we have started and step up our training. We really need to take advantage of this month so we can be ready for the season. You have put in excellent work thus far, let’s continue to build on it.

Coach Caitlin

Coach Jacobson

7/10 update

Braves,

I hope you enjoyed your moratorium week. We missed you all and are excited to get back at it this week. Our first race is a little over a month away so now is really the time to buckle down and get to work.

The first month of our summer practices went extremely well. As a group you stayed committed and worked hard each day at practice. We are proud of you for that and hope you continue what you’ve started- and take it to the next level. This month of practices is going to be fun, starting tomorrow we will be back on our usual schedule with practice M/W @ 7:30 and a Friday trail run time and place tbd.

We have been harping on it all season long, but it cannot be overstated: make sure you are running on your own each day. For each individual and our team to reach our full potential, this is something you have to be doing. As the great coach Herb Brooks said, “you think you can make it on talent alone? We don’t have enough talent to make it on talent alone.” Herb Brooks was the 1980 USA Olympic hockey coach. (I took that quote from the movie “Miracle” with Kurt Russell. If you haven’t seen that movie or it’s been a while, I’d recommend going and watching it because it is awesome, and really shows what hard work means, and accomplishes.) His statement applies to us all- we have to be about hard work because natural talent is not enough. Former Utah Jazz player and current Toronto Raptor Demarre Carroll makes a living in the NBA by his mantra “Hard work is a talent.” He would say he does not have the natural talents that many of his colleagues have, but he has made a name for himself, and a successful career based on the concept of hard work. My friend and high school teammate, and now 2016 Olympian in the marathon headed to Rio, Jared Ward, constantly talks about trusting your training when you step to the line and are in the race. If you have put in the work then you can race with confidence and no regrets. If you haven’t been training enough, how can you trust it? Now is the time to put in that training so in August, September, and October as a team we can step to the line with confidence knowing that we have put in the work.

If you have been putting in the work on your own, keep it rolling, step it up a level, and challenge yourself. If you haven’t, then start this week. Be at practice tomorrow then Tuesday get up and run on your own. You can do this, let’s keep getting better. Let’s have fun each day while we work hard. Don’t let excuses keep you from pushing yourself. Don’t let fear of temporary pain stop you from improving. We talk about hard work being a stepping stone to success, and it is, but in reality hard work is what makes this whole journey worth it. Hard work is not limited to XC but in everything you do. Hard work doesn’t just make you a better athlete, it refines who you are and makes you a better teammate, a better friend, and a better person.

We have an awesome group of kids on this team, and you are a part of that. We appreciate all you do and understand the sacrifices that it takes and commend you for making them for the good of the team and yourself. We are proud of you as coaches, and we are having so much fun being around this group and watching you improve. We have a fun week planned and an awesome month ahead. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Let’s keep it rolling.

Coach Caitlin

Coach Jacobson

7/3 update

Braves,

Thanks for a great week. Monday we had an awesome tempo run and it was great to see how hard each of you was working to push the pace. Wednesday we saw impressive commitment to doing each of the four sets of mile then 800. That kind of effort and commitment will help you be successful. There was a good turn out on Friday for our trail run, and I hope that inspires you to do your distance runs on your own every day. It can be difficult to get up for early practice, but a lot of you have been doing it consistently all summer long. You’re doing a fantastic job at being dedicated and we commend you for that. It is difficult enough to get up that early, and it is a whole other difficulty to prepare yourself to work hard once you get to practice. For the most part everyone is giving their all day in and day out. As mentioned before, that it was creates success. Let’s keep it rolling.

We are halfway through summer. It is unbelievable how quickly it is going, and in a very short time you will either be regretting not running on the days that we haven’t met, or you will be extremely glad that you did. Building a base is fundamental (no pun intended) to success is XC and track. What we do when we meet is absolutely not enough to build a proper base. If you are running on your own as well then what we do will help you be successful. Now is the time to commit yourself to running on your own if you haven’t been, and to increase your weekly mileage if you have been. Our job as coaches is not to criticize you when you haven’t been putting in the proper work, but to encourage you to do so, to be better, and to commit yourself to excellence.

With that in mind, send me your running logs from this past week. Very few of you have been sending them to us and that is disappointing. Even if you have not been running on your own, please send it to me. I am not looking for an opportunity to criticize or call you out for not putting in enough miles, because you already know what you should be doing. We just want to know what you are doing so you can be accountable. So send those to me as soon as you can.

This coming week is Moratorium so there is NO PRACTICE all week. We will resume practices on Monday, 7/11 at the usual time and place. Just because there is no team practice today does not mean you should not run, because you definitely need to be running. Feel free to meet up with your teammates and go for a run. I would discourage doing any intervals this week. Don’t go do mile repeats on your own at the track, even though that sounds like a blast. Use this week to get in a lot of miles on the roads or the trails. Vary your routes, paces, and times. Enjoy your week off, though, we will miss you guys. It has been a blast so far coaching this group because of the positivity and hard work you have been putting in. Thank you for that.

So many of you deserve to be highlighted in these emails but I can’t get to everyone. Laurie has been working hard all year, and this week she stood out. She was there each day ready to put her full effort in. Even when it was obvious that she was tired or hurting she still was going full effort. Often we feel tired during one part of a run, race, or workout and we let that defeat us for the rest of the way. Laurie bounced back well from some difficult stretches to finish the rest of the workout hard. That kind of mental toughness is key to improving as an athlete and a person. On the boys side Braden came and worked hard and stepped up. I’ve been impressed with the effort he has put in the last month. Honestly, from two months ago during track season to now, he looks like a completely different runner. Our hope is that each of you can feel that as the days and weeks pass, that you have become a different athlete. As you work hard each day and overcome the difficult stretches you will get there.

Our season pictures will be posted to the link below. The link can also be found on our website. If you take any pictures you can just drag and drop them onto this page so we have pictures of the season. It will be easier to take pictures once we start getting into racing season. I have uploaded a few from our practices if you want to take a look. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMe1CwlaYOXlM0N_6R_pxkaGBvT63EAG8Z31wgCcjSEDZEM6CTNDhT8gnmJM6E59g?key=SkNkQjU2eWE3V1JyU2FjY2NqUllhTDVtd2NiRm1B

Thank you for all that you do. We are proud of this group and are excited to hit the next half of our summer training. We hope you all enjoy your independence day. We are going camping with our two month old so wish us luck. If we look like zombies next week at practice you’ll know how it went.

Coach Caitlin &

Coach Jacobson

6/26 update

Braves,

I can’t believe we are already three weeks into our summer training. We have been putting in some great work, and I don’t need to remind you (but I will, continuously) that you have got to be putting in miles on your own. What we do two or three times a week is not going to be enough of a base for you come this fall. The foundation you are laying now is going to allow you to truly improve in September and October. If you don’t put in the necessary work now you won’t see the results you otherwise would. On that note, please send me your running logs

We were so impressed with the effort level this week. We can see each of you improving day by day. Slowly and steadily we notice your improvements and it makes us more excited for the season. We had three pretty tough days and yet you were out there laying it down in the parks and on the trails. Aaron was someone who stood out this week with his work rate. He was there every day working, and right with him was Daniel, pushing each other and trying to get better. These two are new to our team this season and are two (of many) who have bought into our team concept and are ready to work each day. I can’t say enough about Emmie. She’s coming back from several injuries that kept her out of track season, and she battles day in and day out. Coming back from injury is one of the most difficult things to do; it is exhausting mentally and physically as you try to regain what you had, and improve beyond where you were. The key to her success is the phrase “day in and day out.” She is always ready to work. You won’t hear her complain about the workouts or even jokingly suggest not to run. She wants to succeed and has been an awesome example. When you feel tired look to Emmie and her consistency, despite her trials, and simply follow her example. There are so many of you doing great work and impressing us each day; honestly, we are so happy about this group.  Keep that hard work rolling and good things will come.

We will meet tomorrow at the track at 7:30, as usual. Coach Caitlin and I have really enjoyed coaching this group. You are what makes coaching fun. We love seeing you work hard, sacrifice for yourself and your teammates, and ultimately get better as athletes and people. Thank you for your hard work; getting up early to train isn’t easy, but it is worth it. You are getting better each day and we see that. Keep that same effort each day and you will reach your goals.

Something that I forgot to mention early in the season is that the week of July 4^th (meaning a week from tomorrow) is our summer moratorium, so there will not be any practices that week. If you would like to get together with some of your teammates that would be fine, but we won’t be there and nothing is officially organized. We will pick practices back up the following Monday. Lastly, if you don’t get reminders from me via the “reminder app” which sends out team announcements to your phone like a text message, feel free to send me a phone number that I can add to the group. Parents are also welcome to join, I send one or two out per week.

Thanks,

Coach Jacobson and Coach Caitlin

6/19 update - week 2

Braves,

We are more and more impressed with the work that you are putting in each week. This week was great, and for the most part the effort level was strong in all of our workouts. When everyone buys in and commits to running their hardest, that is when the team starts to have fun and improve. When you are feeling tired or losing motivation at the end of a tough workout, look at your teammates and find motivation in their example.

For our team to be successful, it has to be about hard work day in and day out. In my running days at Weber State I used to be disappointed by certain teammates who would work hard one day, then not the next day. Those athletes never saw the success that they otherwise would have. Anyone can work hard once; the key to reaching your potential is being good set after set, mile after mile, day after day, week after week. When you string together successful days into weeks and months, then you see the improvement you are all hoping for. After two weeks of practice we are on our way to reaching that. I’m am very happy with the work that so many of you are doing; keep it up! We appreciate the level of work being done, this isn’t an easy sport, and seeing you work hard to be better is what will help each member of our team be successful.

This week we will meet at the regular times on Monday and Wednesday, 7:30 at the track. We will meet again on Friday for a team trail run. Time and place TBD but I’m thinking Mueller Park trail, but we will let you know as we get closer.  

Please remember to send in your running logs to me. A few of you have already this weekend and that is great. I know several of you will be out of town and have already let me know. We completely understand that you have vacations and camps to do, just send me a quick email letting me know that you’ll be gone.

Thanks for all your hard work and positive attitudes. You are the reason that coaching is so much fun. We appreciate you. Let’s keep it rolling.

Coach Jacobson

P.S.

We have a team Instagram @bravestrackandxc I will be posting pictures there as well as some on our website www.bravesxc.blogspot.com the link for the pictures on the website is on the right side of the page. Anyone can upload a picture there of our team so we have a single place for them. Those of you who did track this past season you may want to go to that website (the link for the braves track page is on the xc site as well) and you can see a bunch of the photos that other parents and athletes uploaded there.  

6/12 update

Braves,

The turnout this week, and the effort this level was very encouraging for us as coaches. The most important thing for our team to have to be successful is for each of you to be dedicated to working day in and day out. On Monday and Wednesday you showed that you are willing to do that, and we loved what we saw. The 400s on Monday were tough, and then to come back and do mile repeats on Wednesday showed us what kind of team we have. It’s going to be a fun season. Mental toughness is one of the keys to success in athletics and life. We cannot let negative thoughts, or thoughts of quitting, get into our minds. Make a plan of how you will be before each workout and then during the run or interval just stick to the plan. If you decide that you will give maximum effort each day, then while you are running you just have to do it, instead of arguing in your mind if you are going to push it or not. Keep up your hard work, and remember not to compare yourselves to anyone else but yourself. Be better than you were the day before, and that is success.

This week we will be meeting on Monday and Wednesday again at 7:30. We will meet at the track tomorrow, and Wednesday we will probably meet up for a trail run. Time and place TBD. Remember to send in your running logs to me. If you have a paper copy just email me a picture, or attach it as a file. Your goal for the rest of June should be to run at least five days a week, increasing the mileage each week. Building a base is fundamental to what we are doing this summer (no pun intended).

Lastly, there are a few of you on this email list that haven’t been able to come out to practice yet; we hope you make it this week! If you are going to miss please send me an email beforehand to let me know. I completely understand that you have vacations and camps and things. Summer gets busy. When you do miss make sure you still find time to get a run in – while of course being safe where ever you are.

You all rock. We look forward to another good week. We appreciate the effort and hard work you are putting in. Trust the process and be mentally tough and you will see the results.

Coach Jacobson

practice update

Braves,

Just a reminder that we are practicing tomorrow at 7:30 at the track. We hope all of you can make it, the more we have the more fun it will be. Practice will be between an hour to an hour and a half. If you want to mentally prepare, we will be doing 400s as we work to begin the process of laying down a base. I hope you have been doing some running since the last time we met. If you haven’t, don’t be discouraged, tomorrow will be a great time to start! If someone has a Frisbee, bring it in case we decide to do ultimate Frisbee as a sort of “cool down.”

It is easy to think, “man tomorrow is my first day of summer, I don’t want to go.” Now is the time to get started and overcome that type of thinking. In order to be successful in xc you have to be mentally tough. Let’s start today being mentally tough, then show it on the track tomorrow. Mental strength is developed one day at a time, one decision at a time. For our team to be successful, and for this summer to be fun, we all need to buy in. I am so excited for our first day; you all are awesome.

On the business side of things, you will need to go to http://www.registermyathlete.com/schools/ to register for cross country. If you have not made an account before, make one then register for xc. If you’ve made one before, simply log in and register. Each athlete will also need a physical. The paperwork can be loaded up to the registermyathlete website, and you can bring a copy to me. Physicals must be done every year, meaning if you got one last June, you are due for another one. If you got one last March, then you are good until next March, as long as we have the paperwork showing that. Try to get this done sometime this week, then you can start making appointments for physicals if needed. If you have any questions about register my athlete, let me know.

We will also be meeting on Wednesday at 7:30 for practice. See you tomorrow!

Coach Jacobson

6/3 Update

Reminder to those who were at our first meeting, and for those who weren't, we will be practicing for the first time on Monday at 7:30 at the track. Those going into 9th grade or above are more than welcome to come. It's gonna be a fun day and summer!

If you have any questions, or are ever going to miss a practice, please let me know via email at bjacobson@dsdmail.net

First Cross Country Meeting

Braves,

We will be having our first team meeting for the upcoming Cross Country season on Thursday, May 26th. We will be meeting after our track team's BBQ, which should end around 4-4:30. If you show up to the end of the BBQ you are welcome to hang out with the track team until our meeting begins. The idea is to meet as a team to give information out about workouts over the summer, and what to expect.  If there is enough interest, we will show "MacFarland USA" because, one, it's awesome, and two, it is an excellent real life example of what hard work and determination can accomplish.

Feel free to contact Coach Jacobson in room 23, or via email bjacobson@dsdmail.net

Thanks, we look forward to meeting with you all.